Sound of Summer: Music for your Summer Playlist
Photo by Unsplash
There are two weeks left of school, and with AP season just behind us the first glimpses of summer are all around. Whether it be the warming weather or the wardrobe changes that come with it, the few months of freedom and bliss that greet us every year are coming in hot. Preparing for summer means maybe getting some new additions to your wardrobe, planning vacations or pre-college programs, and concocting your summer playlist. The sound of summer is usually defined by bright and airy melodies that can feel fun and nostalgic even for years to come. The soundtrack can include old or new favorites, so here are some albums and songs sure to brighten up your spirits, to match them with the weather.
Gaman by Star 99
“Gaman,” the second album from San Jose band Star 99, released in March of this year, is an indie pop-punk record jam-packed with sing-songy melodies referencing their hometown and singing of summer. Lead vocalist Saoirse Alesandro sweetly delivers sharp, clever lyrics with equal parts charm and emotion, like on fast-paced opener “Kill” and San Jose-focused “Emails”. The album is also a celebration and exploration of culture - Alesandro is of mixed-race Japanese ancestry, and the other vocalist, Thomas Calvo, immigrated to the Bay Area from Guam as a child. The songs, “Simulator” and “Esta”, written by Calvo, discuss fitting in and cultural family hardships, while the closing song and title track, “Gaman,” was inspired by Alesandro’s grandmother, who was held in the Japanese internment camps of World War II. The word gaman is a Japanese phrase, meaning to endure difficult and seemingly unbearable events with grace and dignity, a concept celebrated and embraced all throughout this sparkling album.
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Slugs by Slow Pulp
Ben’s My Friend by Sun Kil Moon
After the Earthquake by Alvvays
Voir Dire by Earl Sweatshirt and the Alchemist
Both Earl Sweatshirt and the Alchemist had long and prolific careers before the release of “Voir Dire” in 2023. Starting out as a member of Los Angeles hip-hop collective Odd Future, Earl Sweatshirt has consistently developed his unique, molasses-slow yet razor-sharp style and sound over time, while Beverly Hills producer the Alchemist’s work has made imprints on the rap community since the 1990s. It wasn’t even the first time the two artists had collaborated, but the 11-song, 30-minute album solidified that the duo was a force to be reckoned with in the hip-hop world. Earl Sweatshirt’s delivery is almost sluggish on these songs: he creeps his way through each of the Alchemist’s beats, which range from orchestral arrangements (“100 High Street”) to vocal loops over simple basslines (“Sentry”) to shimmery 80s-esque pop instrumentals (“Heat Check”). What one artist brings in complement to the other couldn’t be supplemented by another - the two fit into each other like a glove. It’s a beautiful sound; chilled out, sharply put together, and seamless from front to back.
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THank god 4 me by scHoolboy Q
Pieces of a Dream by MIKE
Highjack by A$AP Rocky and Jessica Pratt
how i’m feeling now by Charli XCX
2025 brought yet another TikTok sleeper hit upon the internet: Charli XCX’s “party 4 u”, a song about yearning for the presence of someone who isn’t coming to your party, and seemingly never will. how i’m feeling now, the album the track is found on, was released in May 2020, when feelings of loneliness and isolation abounded among the global population in the middle of the COVID-19 lockdown era. It was Charli’s way of unifying her fans during a time of crisis, something she achieved by producing songs in real time on Instagram Live and including footage of her fans at home in the music videos for “forever” and “claws” (intentionally non-capitalized). Its sound was fresh and necessary: a soundtrack for the club when nobody could go out to one. Sonically, one could compare it to a diamond shattered on a concrete floor - with production assistance from Dylan Brady of hyperpop duo 100 gecs and A.G. Cook of PC Music fame, it’s full of video game-esque glitches and pitched-up, autotuned vocals. The bubbly instrumental on “detonate” resembles what a can of Sprite might sound like, while the following track, “enemy” is an echoing, vulnerable confession sampling parts of Charli’s Zoom therapy sessions. She details her boredom and longing for socialization on “anthems”, alternating between droning vocal delivery on the verses and an exploding, skyrocketing chorus. The craze over “party 4 u” can’t be understood better than when it’s heard nestled perfectly within the shimmering, endlessly creative collection that is how i’m feeling now.
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Starburned and Unkissed by Caroline Polachek
Lucifer by A.G. Cook
Forever salty by Bassvictim
Hotep by Blue Iverson
The many faces of enigmatic experimental artist Dean Blunt include project Blue Iverson, an alter ego that explores the sounds of R&B, neo-soul, and funk, among others. The group has released only one album to date: 2017’s Hotep, which is 20 minutes of something resembling the beach, packaged into musical form. The smoothness of the string arrangements and the thumping basslines coax the tracks into one another, with the steady pattern of instrumentals broken occasionally by the honeyed voices of vocalists Jennah Bell and Akua. However, the music itself is the gem - “Hush Money” shrouds whispered singing in a light, plucky instrumental. At the same time “Soulseek” presents a jazzy, piano-assisted piece of tumbling instrumentation, and “Fake Loathe” swoons with a tropical, whistling arrangement and a tale of a dissatisfied love.
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Run to the Sun by N.E.R.D
oh my love by FKA Twigs
Smile Please by Dean Blunt and Elias Rønnenfelt
Bloodless by Samia
Samia is a name buried pretty deep in the indie pop world, despite receiving multiple shout-outs from indie-folk-pop princess Phoebe Bridgers and already having three albums under her belt. But her lack of overt success hasn’t prevented her from crafting meticulous arrangements of colorful lyrics paired with flickering, varied production, consistently releasing some of the best indie pop of the decade so far. Her third album Bloodless was released in April 2025, following 2023’s Honey and 2020’s The Baby. From the first single, ‘Lizard’, the album’s direction was clear. ‘Lizard’ is a shimmery pop song with coy lyrics that dart back and forth across an addictive melody (I played it for literal weeks straight when it was released). It’s fun, but so creative and attentive to detail, qualities that Samia’s music never fails to evoke. Her soaring, clear voice is the driving force behind the music, though, along with her casually emotional lyrics. “I can’t stop crossing the line / And you can’t stop trying to keep me on the other side / If only you could read my mind”, she sings on ‘Dare’. Her use of language is impressive: she weaves in words like ‘onus’, ‘litmus’, and ‘inscrutable’ into her lyrics as if they’re as common as ‘me’ or ‘you’. There’s so much to be found on Bloodless. Whether it be professions of love or self-reflective confessionals, folky guitar tunes or sweet pop songs - Samia’s versatility and devotion to her music is clear, painting a beautiful picture of a hot, contemplative summer night.
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No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire by Dora Jar
The Birthday Party by the 1975
Headlock by Snail Mail
